The present invention relates to computer interfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to computer interfaces that utilize dialogue boxes.
Many computer systems display images produced by different applications within different windows on a computer monitor. Examples of operating systems that generate such windows include Windows 95(copyright), Windows 98(copyright), Windows NT(copyright), and Windows(copyright) 2000 from Microsoft Corporation. In such systems, users are able to interact with multiple applications. For example, a user may have one window open for Word 97 from Microsoft Corporation and a second window open for Excel from Microsoft Corporation.
Each application, and the operating system itself, is able to generate dialogue windows or boxes in which the application or operating system provides error or status information to the user. Such dialogue boxes usually require that the user press the xe2x80x9cENTERxe2x80x9d key on the keyboard or activate a button within the dialogue box in order to dismiss the dialogue box. Typically, dialogue boxes prevent the user from performing any other task on the computer until the dialogue box has been dismissed.
Although dialogue boxes can contain important information, users often dismiss the boxes before they have read or understood the contents of the boxes. Under current systems, once the dialogue box is dismissed, the user has no means to recall the dialogue box to review its contents.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling a dismissed dialogue box that displays an animation in which the dialogue box moves to an off-screen space beyond the perimeter of a computer display. Based on a later user request to view the dismissed dialogue box, the present invention provides a further animation that brings the off-screen space and the dialogue box into view. Under some embodiments, multiple dismissed dialogue boxes are stored in the off-screen space and the user can manipulate the boxes when viewing the off-screen space.
In some embodiments, the off-screen space is brought into view by rotating the space into the user""s current view. In other embodiments, the user""s current view is rotated to show the space.